Hatched in a swimming pool: 50 years of relativistic astrophysics

The scientific discipline of relativistic astrophysics was born in Dallas in 1963, at the first Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics (see below for more history). The field that began with the discovery of quasars now encompasses studies of black holes, exploding stars and colliding galaxies, as well as the mysterious dark energy and dark matter that comprise 95 percent of the universe. New research to be presented at the 50th anniversary meeting – held once again in Dallas – reflects many "hot topics" in astrophysics, including: cosmological models; black holes, pulsars and neutron stars; testing gravity at cosmological scales; galaxy evolution and supermassive black holes; cosmological implications of the Higgs particle and the LHC; alternative theories of gravity; and updates from ongoing and future experiments, such as Planck, NuSTAR and Pan-STARRS.

A special feature of the 27th Texas Symposium will be a roundtable discussion devoted to the history of the conference itself and of relativistic astrophysics, and the impact the symposium has had over the years. The roundtable will include some of the original participants from the 1963 event, as well as historical perspectives from astrophysicists and science historians.

More information:
WHAT: 27th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, 50th anniversary meeting
WHERE: Fairmont Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas
WHEN: Dec. 8-13, 2013; hotel conference rate available until Nov. 18
WHO: Hosted by The University of Texas at Dallas
FOR MEDIA: Complimentary conference registration for journalists, PIOs

Provided by University of Texas at Dallas